The Brighton Magazine

Selected Brighton Magazine Article

Andy McKee, one of the world's finest acoustic guitar soloists is dropping in on Brighton, next month.

One of the internet's first true viral video superstars, Andy shot to worldwide prominence in 2006 when his technically astounding Drifting, was lauded by Digg and YouTube users and has gone on to receive over 100 million plays on YouTube alone (!), with numbers still rising daily.

Andy said:"It's definitely changed my life, We had no expectations that any of my videos would become as popular as they have and I feel extremely fortunate to have had that sort of success online.

It's made it possible for me to tour all over the world and meet all of these wonderful fans."

Despite being entirely self-taught, Andy's technically and musically ground breaking versions of both original and cover songs has made him a household name in numerous countries worldwide

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However McKee's career is no online gimmick; as a live musician he performs over 200 shows a year – from Arizona to Zimbabwe, and has independently released six studio albums (with another in the making), selling in excess of 50,000 copies without any major record label or marketing support.

Born, raised and still living in Kansas, Andy has toured and performed with some of the biggest names in music including Dream Theatre, Eric Johnson and Prince, who he both supported and joined on stage to perform Purple Rain every night on his last Worldwide Arena Tour.

Following on from the hugely successful Guitar Masters UK tour, this forthcoming solo tour will once again showcase the exceptional talents of one of the most talented guitarists alive today.

First of its kind, UK based digital-social platform ourscreen aims to support the great work being done in cinemas across the country by empowering film fans and local communities to create and attend screenings at their local cinema.

Bob Dylan will have a vibrant selection of his art on show in Brighton in a retrospective exhibition that brings together works released annually from 2008 to 2014, all from his critically-acclaimed collection: The Drawn Blank Series.

Brighton & Hove City Council is set to become the first local authority in Britain to commission a Housing First project to tackle street homelessness and stop the revolving door of rehabilitation, hostel and street.

The new Brighton Trans*formed website is now up-and-running. Designed by Melanie Menard, the site features photographs and the full interview transcripts that formed the basis of the much praised book of the same name.

The Fretful Federation is a community orchestra of players from Brighton and the surrounding areas playing all manner of fretted instruments, including mandolins, mandolas, mandocello, mandobass and classical guitars.

WhaleFest, the world's biggest whale and dolphin festival, which attracts over 15,000 visitors from across the globe in just two days, will be held at The Brighton Centre after its rapid growth over the past few years.

Thomas Soud, member of UK Youth Parliament from Brighton and Hove, attended a special event in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the parliament called by Simon De Montfort, which met from January to mid-March 1265.